GLORIA VANDERBILT, Then and Now

1970's

If one picture is worth a thousand words, then this one is worth a million!  The history, the excitement of old New York is summed up here.  The new film and the new book are fabulous too!  I gave the book to my own mother for Mother's Day this year.

2016

Above, the famous Rose Cumming chintz was used called "Carisbrooke" in the Beekman Place flat of Ms. Vanderbilt.  I love the accoutrement displayed on the table, especially the silver flask!  Michael Taylor placed a large order for Carisbrooke, at a time when the Rose Cumming firm was underperforming, and as the story goes, saved the day for them...
The decorator Billy Baldwin also used this chintz - similar to another one from Brunschwig and Fils...the brass "pharmacy" lamps aimed at the screen remind me of his studio apartment in the east 60's with the lacquered brown walls.  Enjoy!  DF *****   

Decorative Richness, Rose Cumming

I finally received my fabulous copy of the new Jeffrey Simpson book called "Rose Cumming Design Inspiration" - (Rizzoli) !  What a delicious treat.  This is a great history and Roger Comeau of Dessin Fournir, has saved the company- Christopher Petkanas also did a fabulous piece on Rose in the NYT...

The drawing room

Colour Story

Another beautiful room by Rose Cumming

I felt a personal connection to the new book, since I knew Ron Grimaldi, and met Mrs Cecil, the sister of Miss Rose.  Too, Albert used to talk to me about knowing Rose, and of course, I was also exposed to her by another fab mentor, Tom Britt...and when I was a young man of about 17 or so, I very serendipitously discovered her ancient and mysterious shop, on Park Avenue, near 53rd Street- (since demolished). And- my friend Marcy, has a sister, Mary Jo, who married into the Cecil family- related to the Vanderbilts by marriage- as in BILTMORE...

Biltmore Estate, property of the Cecil family

I recall Ronald or someone telling me that Gloria Vanderbilt, (whom he helped to decorate her Sutton Place apartment) once paid about $16,000.00 for one pillow, and I adore shocking my clients and customers off the street with this little tidbit of decorating trivia!  I also was most interested to learn that my idol, Michael Taylor, placed a large order for "Carisbrook" and that is what launched the revival of Rose's fabrics after her death in the sixties, fostered by Ron Grimaldi and Eileen Cecil.


Tom Britt's drawing room




Carisbrook, by Rose Cumming, through Dessin Fournir

  The beautiful and exotic birds in Tom's upstairs salon, once hung in Miss Rose's "Ugly Room" a space she created to show how anything from nature was valid, and to express her unique point of view- there is a colour plate of this room in the famous book "The Finest Rooms" and I would urge you to reference the book, and the image I am describing, to get the full impact of how special the work Miss Rose did really was.  Enjoy the day, wherever you are! DF *****